'Tower Heist'

Universal Pictures

His character: A none-too-slick thief who is enlisted to turn the tables on a well-heeled thief.

How clean or mean? In this ensemble drama, directed by Oscar producer Brett Ratner, Murphy once again mainlines his ghetto-comedy crazy, and it reminds us of the raw comic brilliance he brought to "Saturday Night Live" all those years ago, writes Times film critic Kenneth Turan. You come away wishing he had more screen time (especially since the movie, albeit in a very different form, was apparently his idea in the first place).

His character: A none-too-slick thief who is enlisted to turn the tables on a well-heeled thief.

How clean or mean? In this ensemble drama, directed by Oscar producer Brett Ratner, Murphy once again mainlines his ghetto-comedy crazy, and it reminds us of the raw comic brilliance he brought to "Saturday Night Live" all those years ago, writes Times film critic Kenneth Turan. You come away wishing he had more screen time (especially since the movie, albeit in a very different form, was apparently his idea in the first place).

(Universal Pictures)

His character: A none-too-slick thief who is enlisted to turn the tables on a well-heeled thief.

How clean or mean? In this ensemble drama, directed by Oscar producer Brett Ratner, Murphy once again mainlines his ghetto-comedy crazy, and it reminds us of the raw comic brilliance he brought to "Saturday Night Live" all those years ago, writes Times film critic Kenneth Turan. You come away wishing he had more screen time (especially since the movie, albeit in a very different form, was apparently his idea in the first place).